It is always so exciting to get asked to contribute to these projects! And if you are looking for a little summer-time fun, this quilty sewing endeavour will not disappoint.

I always feel my nieces are a true test of whether one of my sewing projects is a hit or a miss. This Quilty Toss Game was a real hit. They played with it for a really long time and when they were done, I heard quite a few “Auntie Trintu (that’s what they called me), that was fun!” That’s gotta be a good sign, right?

And when the fun for playing games starts to wane and everyone is ready for a snack to refuel, this game doubles and as a quilt blanket.

Project Instructions – Part 1 of 2

This will be the first of two posts on this projects. Today I want to share with you how you’ll make the quilt blanket which is the foundation of this project.

This is a fairly straightforward project which utilizes basic quilting and applique techniques.

You can customize the holes where the bean bags get tossed through with any design you like (more on that in part 2). But the basic construction of the quilt involves 10 x 10 fabric squares in colours of your choice. For this project I used 30 squares.

Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, join together your squares. Some people like to do this in groups of 9. I like to go row by row. Press seams open.

Next create some ties for each corner of your Quilty Target Toss so you can hang it up wherever you want to have a quick game. I used 1/4 inch binding that I created on my own. You can use pre-made, ribbon or light rope. I cut four lengths, one for each corner, 3 feet long.

Now to create your quilt sandwich!! If you want to finish with binding, you can make your quilt sandwich how you normally would when quilting, just be sure to tuck those ties in at each corner.

I opted for a smoother finished edge which meant that I sewed my bottom and top pieces right sides together (remembering to tuck my ties into each corner), with the batting on the outside of either top or bottom (so it’s not inside between the top and bottom right sides together but on the outside/exposed when you sew). Leaving a 3 inch opening, turn right side out and finish with a blind stitch (hand sewn). You can also top stitch close to the edge around all four sides to capture in that open seam.

In part 2 (which I’ll post at the end of the month) I’ll go through how I made the holes in the quilt so you have a target to toss your bean bags through.

What is your favourite summer time game? Do you do more sewing in the summer or winter?